Cable TV producer reveals secret of success
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Korean chefs prepare their dishes on the show “Global Chef Wars.” / Courtesy of JTBC
JTBC’s chief producer Lee Dong-hee / Courtesy of JTBC
By Kim Jae-heun
Lee Dong-hee, chief producer of cable TV JTBC, revealed that the secret behind the success of his hit shows is his effort to lead trends and make programs in his own style.
“New trends are always around us,” said Lee during the press meeting at the JTBC building in Mapo-gu, Seoul, Tuesday.
“Cooking or eating shows are an example, and these days music reality shows are getting the spotlight,” he said. “We always seek ideas from ordinary things around us but the timing has to be right for the trend to become successful. We won’t create something totally new, but will use the concept or themes that have been around and turn them into JTBC’s style of television show.”
Lee’s Production 3 team is currently in charge of the company’s top three television shows, “Please Take Care of My Refrigerator,” “Battle of Tongues,” and “Global Chef Wars.”
Please Take Care of My Refrigerator is a reality cooking show that premiered in 2014. The show invites two guest stars and has chefs compete using the food only found in the celebrities’ refrigerators. The guests choose the winner after tasting dishes concocted in 15 minutes or less.
Lee designed this cooking show such that chefs can use only ordinary ingredients that can be found in anybody’s fridge, whereas previous cooking shows featured fancy dishes made with expensive ingredients.
The cooking show topped video-on-demand sales among cable TV entertainment shows and ranked third as the most popular show in Korea according to Gallup Korea in August last year. Lee Also sold the show’s format to a Chinese company as well as to NBC Universal of Europe and Africa.
Lee said he wishes to invite Song Joong-ki of the recent KBS megahit drama series “Descendants of the Sun,” and idol band Big Bang members who have not yet been on the show, such as rapper T.O.P., singers Daesung and Seungri.
Battle of Tongues has recently recorded its highest viewer rating at 4.93 on its 160th episode since it first aired in Feb. 2013. The show, better known as “Ssulzun” in Korean, recently featured former Minister of Health and Welfare Rhyu Si-min and lawyer-turned-poet and broadcaster Jun Won-tchak as left- and right-wing debaters, respectively.
“Ssulzun does not restrict its coverage to political affairs but also discusses various social, cultural and economic issues. That was our first intention with the program. And we want to approach and deal with the topics in an easy manner so that anybody can enjoy the show,” Lee said.
Global Chef Wars is another cooking variety show and the newest show among the three that just took to the air this Feb. 17 starring the same emcees Kim Sung-joo and Ahn Jung-hwan of Please Take Care of My Refrigerator with Kang Ho-dong joining them. Four chefs travel around the world to compete with world renowned international chefs in their kitchens and so far the Korean chefs have lost to their counterparts in Hong Kong but beat the Japanese chefs. Seven episodes have been aired so far and the show is attracting the most viewers among its cable TV competitors that are aired at the same time.